As much as Dean was hoping he'd be able to find something in his research to help make the hunt go quicker for his dad, or at least give them a hint about how they might be able to protect themselves enough to leave the cabin, he didn't want to get Sam's hopes up. So he decided to save the research for after Sam went to bed.

They passed a quiet day. Sam unpacked his suitcase while Dean cleaned the few weapons their dad had left with them—a silver knife, a rifle, and a shotgun. Sam read a book in bed while Dean channel surfed, until Sam got annoyed enough with the noise to come over and plop down on the couch as well. Of course, there was nothing good on, so Dean eventually got up to start on dinner—boxed macaroni and cheese.

They didn't bother with the dishes. There was no way Dad would be back this soon, and he was the only one that would complain about the kitchen being messy. Instead, Sam rummaged through a closet to find some board games. Dean didn't really like playing games with Sam—it was aggravating to repeatedly lose to his little brother, which was what usually happened—but he agreed to play because he really was that bored. Also, he knew it would make Sam happy.

Sam put himself to bed at nine—he'd always been pretty good about keeping to routines—and Dean said he'd be going to sleep soon. They turned out the lights in the cabin, but as soon as he was sure Sam was asleep, Dean flicked on a flashlight and searched the bookshelf beside the couch.

He was really hoping for newspapers, but no luck—apparently, it had been awhile since anyone had been in the cabin. There were a few novels, a dictionary, a Bible, and a couple of reference books. One was called Smallville, Meteor Capital of the World, and appeared to be local history, though it didn't look much like a textbook.

Dean kept turning through the pages, though, because he didn't have much else to work with. Apparently there had been a huge meteor shower seven years ago, causing quite a few deaths and injuries. Most of the rocks left behind were a bright green, and sometimes they glowed.

Some people believed the rocks had some kind of radioactive properties and could mutate people. Others were convinced a spaceship had crash landed among all of the meteors, though it didn't seem to be connected to the other theories.

The more Dean flipped through the pages, the more he realized it looked more like a bunch of conspiracy theories than like the history and lore books he usually read through. Dean rolled his eyes and put the book back. The weirdness of the truth had a certain flavor; this wasn't it.

He looked through the supplies in the cabin, as well as the items his dad had left behind, to try to gather more clues. Their dad hadn't reminded them to put a salt line by the doors and windows, so it probably wasn't a ghost. Could be werewolves. Probably not vampires, given the stops they'd made—or rather, hadn't made—along the way. Possibly a demon, but Dean doubted his dad would have guaranteed he'd be home in less than a week if it was.

Dean wished he had the hunting journal, but his dad had taken it with him, which probably meant he needed the notes. So either it was a creature he didn't deal with much, or he didn't know exactly what it was. That didn't help Dean at all.

He sighed and put away the books. Looked like he and Sam were in for the long haul.

Maybe Dean could risk a short venture outside in the morning, see if he could see any evidence left behind. If nothing else, maybe he'd find some of those meteor rocks. While the theories about spaceships and aliens were obviously whack, Dean had to admit that meteor shower had piqued his interest. And Sam was kind of a nerd when it came to science. He'd probably love something that came from space.